Ashes Of Creation CEO Fires Back In Legal Battle Over Failed Kickstarter MMO With Damning Emails About Not Paying Severance

Intrepid Studios’ former CEO, Steven Sharif, has pushed back against “coordinated attacks” and “narratives pushed by the opponents in our lawsuit with their own agendas” in a recent statement posted on the Ashes of Creation Discord, following a report from NefasQS on April 11 which alleged that Sharif had spent the now-defunct MMO’s funds to fuel a “lavish lifestyle.”

However, Sharif’s 11-page-long statement also contains exhibits from the ongoing court case between Intrepid Studios’ board of directors and Sharif in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, including alleged texts between Sharif and two of Intrepid Studios’ key investors, Rob Dawson and Jason Caramanis.

In a document titled “Official Statement April 14th” contained within Sharif’s post on the Ashes of Creation Discord, he states that “public discourse” surrounding the ongoing lawsuit “has been flooded with knives-out narratives driven by a coordinated defamation campaign orchestrated by the opposing parties in my lawsuit.”

“That campaign has been amplified through content creators, including those serving as a mouthpiece for Jason Caramanis, a known violent individual with multiple prior arrests. Do not mistake noise for truth,” reads Sharif’s statement. “If you genuinely care about what happened to Ashes of Creation and Intrepid Studios, and this is not directed at the casual observer, I ask that you take a moment to read today’s court filings.”

“In them, I have included more than 45 exhibits consisting of texts, emails, internal communications, and witness testimony from six individuals with firsthand knowledge of the events as they unfolded,” continues the statement. “I understand that creators can be easier to consume and more entertaining to watch, but some are chasing headlines and clicks, not accuracy, context, or the truth which can only be found reliably in court.”

The 195-page-long “Filed Exhibits” document features 46 individual exhibits filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on April 14, 2026, including dozens of screenshots of texts that Sharif purportedly received from Intrepid Studios investors Dawson and Caramanis. One particularly interesting entry in the Filed Exhibits document is a purported offer for Intrepid Studios from Riot Games’ CFO Mark Sottosanti, in which he offers “a total investment of $250-$500” million for a “potential acquisition of Intrepid by Riot.” According to testimony from former Intrepid Studios investor Tom Alkazin, “After Intrepid declined the offer, Mr. Dawson’s and Mr. Caramanis’ tone completely changed, and the two began a campaign of coercive calls and texts…”

One alleged text from Dawson states: “Sign and return with proof and i will send 1.395 mil and i dont want to hear from anyone again i tik docs are signed. And know that i will come after John with a vengeance if he doesn’t sign. He fucjed my life and i have severe animosity toward him.” In this context, “John” presumably refers to John Moore, Sharif’s husband, who was a director at Intrepid Studios during Ashes of Creation’s development.

Another alleged text from Caramanis, the key investor whom Sharif accuses of being a “known violent individual with multiple prior arrests,” reads as follows: “get this shit f*cken done tomorrow or your life is over On Tuesday when business opens i am NOT f*cking around with you asshole anymore… this is f*cken retarded… your lucky i have Rob’s back otherwise i would f*ck your whole world up…”

The exhibits also contain an alleged email from Aaron Bartels, one of the Intrepid Studios defendants named in the lawsuit. The alleged email is dated January 8, 2026, days before Ashes of Creation would go offline, and reads as follows: “I do not believe we should pay severance nor PTO. These are bottom performers. Who have already been paid more than they deserve. We don’t owe them more. If they want to make noise in market, they will anyway as we’re fired. Who listens to a poor performer who gets whacked?”

For context, Intrepid Studios head of marketing, Margaret Krohn, stated in a post on X on February 3 that employees did not receive their final paychecks when the studio suddenly shut down. “It is still shocking. The entire studio gathered to try to understand what had happened and what it meant for our future,” Krohn revealed. “In the end, none of us are receiving our final paychecks, the 60 days notice and pay outlined under the WARN Act, PTO payouts, or other compensation owed.”

I waited until today to share this because I wanted to be sure I was communicating from a place of clarity.

Intrepid Studios has shut down in a way that I did not expect. What I can share is what I experienced.

On January 28, toward the end of the workday, I was informed that…

— 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖌𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖙 𝕶𝖗𝖔𝖍𝖓 🌱💕 (@MargaretKrohn) February 3, 2026

Sharif also says in the “Official Statement April 14th” document, presumably in direct response to NefasQS’ purported claim that he’d spent Intrepid Studios’ money on personal expenses, that he had “extended millions in personal credit to support ongoing operating expenses over nearly a decade,” “personally guaranteed the loans financing Intrepid,” and also “used our equity in Intrepid to obtain additional convertible debt.”

Sharif signed off the pre-Q&A segment of the official statement by thanking those who have supported him thus far. “We are going to pursue full accountability for the damages done to Intrepid, its employees, its creditors, its shareholders, and its community, which are vast. And we are going to fight like hell to ensure Ashes of Creation reaches the hands of the people who waited for it for so long, from the hands of those who built it, believe in it, and intend to deliver on its promise. Not from those who tried to steal it.”

“To everyone who has reached out to me and to members of the team during these last months: thank you. Your support has mattered more than you know. Truly it has.”